….you just can’t afford to go quite as often.”  That’s my answer to the question I asked of you in my previous post.

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I love car magazines, and in particular British car magazines.  Car, Evo, Top Gear…they’re head and shoulders above our US car mags.  (I really don’t want to read a comparo test between a Dodge Nitro and a Chevy Lump-’o-Coal.)

In my new issue of Evo one of their writers, Richard Porter, wrote this:

It’s always seemed amazing that you can go into a diner in the United States and get a whole heap of decent quality food served with a smile for almost bugger all money.  (NOTE:  I have no idea what that last part meant.)  Americans would be outraged with anything less, which is why secretly they feel superior when they come to Britain and a greasy teenager brings them a glass of warm water, a pile of limp lettuce and a bun full of fat with a pube in it.

Funny, yes, but…ahem…I can’t let this slight of my British cousins go unanswered:  I was in the UK a couple of years ago, and while I had heard very unflattering things about their cusine and was prepared for the worst, I must tell you I ate VERY well.  I did avoid those breakfast “bangers”, and their Candian bacon left me feeling rather queasy, but otherwise I enjoyed it.  I did eat some combinations that I would never have thought of here, but that’s OK.  ”When in Rome (or London), do…..”   

See you manana,

S

…..when somebody who does a really good job has trouble competing.  It seems that the ONLY thing people look at these days is the bottom line.  I have an excellent insulation contractor who really knows his stuff, really knows how to make a tight building “envelope”….translation:  a very energy efficient house.  Unfortunately his bid was considerably higher than another, much larger volume oriented insulation company in town.  I’m gonna go ahead and include the more conscientious contractor price in my bid to Dr. & Ms. M, but if they balk at my price, I may have to show them where to save money, such as using cheaper insulation.  I hope it doesn’t come to that.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard a potential home buyer say, “I’m not lookin’ for just a low bid.  I want it done RIGHT”, then find out later they bought from Brand X, a builder notorious for slapping something together cheap just for a fast buck.  We even have a saying, “Buyers are liars.  Yet when things soon start to fall apart, these are the very buyers who scream the loudest.

Honestly now, are you a “bottom line” (think: Made in China) consumer or do you investigate thoroughly and pay accordingly?  I know we don’t all have the luxury of paying for “the best”, but is that even a factor when you shop?

S

Usually in late July in Texas our temperatures are hovering anywhere between about 98 and 105 degrees, and rain is just a distant memory.  It’s usually late September before daytime temps come down to a level a rational person would call “comfortable”.  But since we’ve been spiking the cattle’s feed with Beano and Smart cars have become de regueur, I’m beginin’ to like summer in Texas.  Last night a good rain soaked us, and a check of the local radar this morning shows a bunch more rain headed this way.  And better still, this rain pattern, along with high temps around 90, is expected to last all week.  And we have Al Gore to thank for it (and the internet, too).  Who knew?  Now I’m off to buy my earth shoes and join Al’s Green team.

K stayed home from work today.

S